Free Scorpio SVG files: the glyph, the constellation and the scorpion

Scorpio in the zodiac

Scorpio is the eighth sign of the zodiac and its figure is the scorpion. By the usual tropical dates the Sun is in Scorpio from 23 October to 21 November; the first and last day can move by one from year to year. Astrology counts Scorpio as a water sign, and its ruler is Pluto in modern astrology and Mars in the older tradition.

The glyph is three arches that end in a tail with an arrowhead for the sting. The constellation here is Scorpius, drawn from the catalogue positions of 14 of its stars on a map centred on the figure, so its proportions are those of the sky. The brightest of them, Antares, is shown as a five-pointed star and the others as discs sized by brightness.

Cutting the Scorpio scorpion

A scorpion is a small body carrying a lot of fine detail: eight legs, four pincer fingers and a sting. Every file is 100 mm on its longer side. At that size the legs of the walking scorpion are about 3 mm wide and its sting tapers from 4 mm to a point; on the view from above the legs taper to under 2 mm at their tips. In vinyl both weed well at 100 mm and the walking scorpion goes down to about 70 mm. For card, wood or acrylic keep either one at 120 mm or more.

The Scorpio glyph is easy to confuse with the one for Virgo: both begin with the same three arches. Scorpio’s last stroke runs out into a tail with an arrowhead, while Virgo’s loops back across itself. The glyph is one piece with no enclosed window, so it needs no bridges when it is cut as a hole.

How to open the files

• Cricut Design Space: choose Upload, pick the SVG, and add it to the canvas. Set the width you want; the shape is already welded.
• Silhouette Studio: Designer Edition and above open the SVG. The free Basic Edition does not, so open the DXF instead.
• LightBurn, xTool Creative Space and Glowforge: import the SVG, then set the layer to cut, score or engrave.
• Inkscape, Illustrator and Affinity: open the SVG. It is a plain filled path, so you can recolour it, add a stroke or combine it with your own work.
• Printing or sublimation: use the PNG, which has a transparent background.

Each design page lists the file’s narrowest part at seven sizes, so you can tell whether it will survive at the size you plan to cut.

Questions